A battery module for an electric car and a hybrid car includes an electric cell group in which a plurality of electric cells having positive and negative electrode terminals is arranged. The electric cells forming the electric cell group are connected in series or in parallel in which the electrode terminals of the adjacent electric cells are connected using a connecting member such as a bus bar (see Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-67184
In assembling the battery module in the configuration above, since it is necessary to connect the electrode terminals at a plurality of locations using the connecting member, a complicated operation is necessary to repeat an operation of connecting the connecting member between the electrode terminals.
Therefore, it is considered to form a battery connection plate in which a plurality of connecting members is arranged in a mold and a resin is poured into the mold to integrally form the connecting members by insert molding or the like according to the number of gaps between electrode terminals.
With the battery connection plate, only a single battery connection plate is mounted on a plurality of electrode terminals protruding from a plurality of electric cells to collectively connect the electrode terminals of the adjacent electric cells at a plurality of locations for improving working efficiency.
However, in the case of using a battery connection plate having connecting members integrally molded, a mold to form the battery connection plate is increased in size and the costs are increased when the number of electric cells becomes large. Moreover, in the case of changing the number of electric cells, it is necessary that a different mold having a length according to the number of electric cells be newly prepared to mold a battery connection plate having a different length, causing a cost increase in forming a mold or the like. Therefore, there is a challenge in that manufacturing costs are reduced.
For a method of solving a reduction in manufacturing costs, it can be considered that a connecting unit having a connecting member and an accommodating portion that accommodates the connecting member is prepared according to the number of gaps between electrode terminals and a connection plate having these connecting units integrally coupled to each other is mounted on an electric cell group. In this method, a mold for the connecting unit is prepared and the number of the connecting units is increased according to the number of the electric cells to be connected. Therefore, the costs of forming the mold can be reduced.
However, when the spacing between the electrode terminals of the adjacent electric cells is varied, misalignment sometimes occurs between the connecting member and the electrode terminal when mounting the connection plate in the configuration above. Particularly in the case of mounting a connection plate having connecting units firmly coupled to each other on an electric cell group, it is difficult to compensate the misalignment between the connecting member and the electrode terminal to cause a possibility to hamper smooth mounting work.
Moreover, when electric cells forming a battery module expand and contract in the direction of arranging the cells to increase a variation in the spacing between the electrode terminals, it is likely to cause a difficulty to compensate the misalignment in the connection plate in the configuration above.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a battery connecting assembly configured to simplify connection work and to compensate the misalignment between a connecting member and an electrode terminal to facilitate connection work while reducing manufacturing costs.
The present invention is a battery connecting assembly that connects an electric cell group in a battery module including the electric cell group having a plurality of electric cells with a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal arranged. The battery connecting assembly includes: a power line having an outer circumferential portion of a conductor covered with an insulating resin and connected to the electrode terminal; and a plurality of connecting units including: a connecting member connecting the adjacent electrode terminals to each other; and a wire mounting portion mounting the power line thereon along a direction of arranging the electric cells. The plurality of connecting units is coupled to each other in which the power line is mounted on the wire mounting portion of the plurality of connecting units.
The battery connecting assembly according to the present invention is connected to the electric cell group as described below, for example. First, a plurality of connecting units is mounted on a single power line. In the present invention, since the connecting unit is formed with the wire mounting portion that mounts the power line thereon, the connecting units are coupled and formed in a single unit with the power line mounted on the wire mounting portion. The coupled connecting units are placed on the electric cell group having a plurality of electric cells arranged, and then the power line is disposed along the direction of arranging the electric cells. Subsequently, the connecting member is mounted on the electrode terminal to connect the battery connecting assembly to the electric cell group.
In other words, in the present invention, mounting the power line on the wire mounting portion of the connecting unit can form the connecting units in a single unit. Then, the connecting units formed in a single unit are connected to the electric cell group to connect the battery connecting assembly to the electric cell group. Thus, it is possible to simplify connection work.
When the spacing between the electrode terminals of the adjacent electric cells is varied, or when the electric cells expand and contract in the direction of arranging the cells to increase a variation in the spacing between the electrode terminals, misalignment sometimes occurs between the connecting member and the electrode terminal. However, in the present invention, since the connecting units are coupled using the power line mounted on the wire mounting portion, the connecting units are movable along the power line. Consequently, according to the present invention, it is possible to compensate the misalignment between the connecting member and the electrode terminal, and it is possible to facilitate the connection work of the battery connecting assembly.
Moreover, in the present invention, since the connecting units connect the electrode terminals to each other, the number of the connecting units maybe changed in the case of changing the number of the electric cells to be connected. Namely, in the present invention, even though the number of the electric cells to be connected is increased, it is unnecessary to prepare molds whenever the number is increased. Consequently, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a battery connecting assembly configured to simplify connection work and compensate the misalignment between a connecting member and an electrode terminal to facilitate connection work while reducing manufacturing costs.